9-year-old boy killed in Far South Side shooting identified

Authorities have identified a 9-year-old boy who was killed Friday night in an East Side neighborhood shooting on the Far South Side, police said.

The boy, Gustavo Garcia, was in an SUV with a 31-year-old man at 11:13 p.m., traveling west in the 3500 block of East 97th Street, Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said. A gray car pulled up next to them and someone inside fired shots.

Gustavo was shot in the back and taken to Comer Children’s Hospital, where he died, authorities said. He lived in the South Chicago neighborhood.

The man was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was in critical condition, according to police. He was shot in the back, face and chest.

At Comer, a group of 10 people, including family members, gathered inside and outside the hospital.

A man who said he was the boy’s father falls to his knees after learning his son had passed. | Nader Issa/Sun-Times

A man who said he was Garcia’s father let out several cries outside the emergency room before he went inside about 10 minutes after arriving. He fell to his knees when he learned of his son’s passing.

“My son is . . .” he said, before pausing. “I don’t know.”

One man in the group said the family didn’t want to comment further.

Police said no suspects were in custody. Area South detectives were conducting a homicide investigation.

Besides Gustavo, six other people have been killed and 18 others wounded in shootings across Chicago since Friday evening.